


strawberry.

by du soleil (IridescentAesthete)



Series: view from the clouds [chanbaek shorts] [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Bubble Bath, Emotional, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Short, Short & Sweet, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25591186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IridescentAesthete/pseuds/du%20soleil
Summary: baekhyun runs a bath again.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Series: view from the clouds [chanbaek shorts] [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1854841
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	strawberry.

**Author's Note:**

> warning: there is one— literally one, swear word in this short!

baekhyun slumps further down into the bathwater as the silence seeps through the walls, a slosh of water interrupting his thoughts every so often. his limbs feel like they're numb and flying through space. he can't feel his fingers. he can't feel much except for the water forming and sweeping at his bare skin.

baekhyun lets his head float on the surface of the water, dyed pink hair splaying out like the feathers of a grand peacock. his eyes shut and he's resorted to feeling, hearing and smelling.

a knock on the door sounds through the room and baekhyun slowly sits up again, opening his eyes to find chanyeol poking his head in. the latter has a calm expression on his face, masking the concern baekhyun know he holds.

"with me or alone?" chanyeol asks, not venturing any further into the bathroom. baekhyun slips his hand out of the water and holds it out for the younger to come closer. chanyeol waddles in and closes the door behind him before kneeling next to the bathtub. he gently takes baekhyun's wet hand and places it on his cheek, kissing the skin of baekhyun's palm.

"i'll be right with you, prince. give me a second." chanyeol smiles and stands to rid himself of his clothing, peeking at the towel rack to make sure there was enough for both of them. he turns again to slowly step into the bathtub and lowers himself to take a seat in front of the older, minding baekhyun's physical space.

baekhyun stays silent the whole time, grabbing a bottle of bubble bath to flood the tub.

"careful, love, not too much," chanyeol gently reminds him. baekhyun nods and squirts some of the wash into the water before him, swirling it around with his hands and eventually forming a sheet of strawberry scented bubbles on the now pink water. chanyeol gestures for baekhyun to come closer so he can lather the older with soap suds, massaging the tight muscles of his neck and shoulders, caressing at his collarbones with his thumbs. baekhyun sighs and looks up at chanyeol from his slouched position.

"you can say whatever you want, baek. i'm listening, like always." chanyeol gently smiles at the older before resuming his task, running his hands down baekhyun's biceps, massaging the skin. baekhyun nods and clears the frog from his throat.

"it's hitting me again," baekhyun nearly whispers. he deflates, disappointed in himself for letting it get to him again. he knows how to handle it, but this time around, he stalled before running the bath because he didn't want to believe it was happening again. chanyeol hums and swipes bubbles down each finger in baekhyun's right hand, calming the older.

"how are you feeling right now? still out of it?" chanyeol questions. he lets his hands stay lax in baekhyun's loose grip below the water. baekhyun shakes his head yes, looking up at the taller and asking for a kiss. chanyeol sets a light and loving kiss on his lips, nothing too long or sensual, or short and playful. just _their_ kiss.

"want me to wash your hair?" chanyeol inquires, body still, save for the thumbs rubbing circles into baekhyun's hands. the shorter nods and turns to face the wall opposite of chanyeol, allowing himself to be pulled back. he feels chanyeol rest his forehead against baekhyun's nape, shuddering when the younger leaves a lingering imprint of his plush lips on the skin there.

"you can tap out whenever, like always, hm?" baekhyun hums affirmatively, collecting his own ball of soap bubbles and gawking at it as if he has never seen a sud before. chanyeol smiles as he watches the pink haired boy get lost in the hill of bubbles, and he takes the shampoo off the ledge and gifts baekhyun a bubbly amount.

baekhyun tenses when he feels the cold of the shampoo hit his scalp, but releases as it's replaced with the soothing warmth of chanyeol's familiar fingers.

"i trust you with it all, chan," baekhyun whispers to him after a minute of silence. he turns to look at his boyfriend as best as he can, the latter pausing his massaging. he looks a bit shocked at the confession, but it's replaced with a certain joy that baekhyun can't find a label for. baekhyun continues his thought, "i know my boundaries, you know my boundaries. i know what to do when those are crossed, and you know what i'll do, too. but, you… you make me feel like i'm the least fucked up person in the world, yeol."

chanyeol runs the words through his head a few times, then grins at the older, maybe letting a tear or two slip.

"i'm really, really happy that you feel that way. beyond happy, baek," chanyeol stutters. baekhyun smiles lovingly as the droplets start to fall down chanyeol's cheeks, dripping into the soapy water they're submerged in.

"you don't have to ask to kiss me, darling. i'm okay with it now. new boundary." chanyeol sniffs and leans up to plant a kiss on baekhyun's forehead.

"you're the bravest, baekhyun," he whispers. his voice croaks, and baekhyun wants to giggle at the little mishap, so he does. he laughs, and he beams a little brighter when chanyeol chuckles along with him.

baekhyun washes the shampoo out of his hair with a bucket of fresh water from the faucet, and chanyeol takes another and soaks his own hair for the sake of feeling like he just washed up (again) too.

"you'll catch a cold if you stay in here any longer. c'mon, let's get to bed," chanyeol speaks after they linger in the tub for a few minutes. baekhyun nods and grabs the railing and chanyeol's arm to stand, needing support as he was in the tub much longer than his lover.

when they finally get to leaving the bathroom and successfully draining the tub, chanyeol rummages through his drawer, fetching clothes for himself and baekhyun. he doesn't forget to give baekhyun the smaller's _own_ underwear, handing him his clothes. baekhyun mutters a 'thank you' and plants a kiss on the younger's unsuspecting lips, both of them grinning lovesick at the contact.

by the time the two of them are dry, dressed and slipping under the covers, baekhyun is already half asleep, knocked out by the physical effects of inner turmoil.

chanyeol wordlessly opens his arms and allows the boy to lock himself in chanyeol's embrace, limbs entangled and messy. chanyeol plays with the pink strands of baekhyun's hair, just how the latter likes it, and baekhyun yawns big against chanyeol's chest.

"sleep, love. you need it," chanyeol mumbles. baekhyun hums and buries himself closer into the bigger's chest, surrounded with the familiar scent and warmth that radiates from his boyfriend. sleepiness threatens to take him from reality with each passing second.

"i love you, chan." baekhyun looks up at the younger from his position, the latter looking down at him. he stretches up and meets chanyeol in the middle for another kiss, lips melting into each others' and hands stagnant. they pull apart and the couple is all smiles. every star in baekhyun's eyes twinkles and twirls around the brown ring in a dance. chanyeol stays there, skipping around on the planets and losing himself in moondust.

"i love you too, baekhyun," he responds in a whisper. it's quiet, but loud enough to ring through baekhyun's spine and make him shiver, and he comes back down from the gaze to drown in chanyeol's warmth again.

sleep drapes over the lovers with a gentle touch of contentment, the relief tickling their skin as their eyes flutter closed and the day ends with them destined to be together again.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! du soleil here.
> 
> i wrote this late last night because i was in a weird mood and needed to ground myself and gain control over my thoughts again. i don't want to self-diagnose, so i don't necessarily give these moments a label, but i found resources for events similar to my own and i learned how to get myself back into my own mind, and not "out of it" as i mentioned in the story.
> 
> here, i live as baekhyun, often times needing a moment to bring back a routine to bring my head back out of the clouds, even if nothing bad happened that day. that is why chanyeol asks questions as if he is familiar with the way baekhyun feels and acts. he knows that when baek draws a bath, it's time to hard respect baekhyun's emotional and physical boundaries. 
> 
> i am also represented by chanyeol, however, in where i'm asking myself the questions— is it okay for me, right now, to go and do this thing while i'm in this state? do i want to have my hair washed? do i want a kiss? and it becomes a story of growth and acceptance of change, like baekhyun accepting that he's completely comfortable with kisses. baekhyun learns the habit of asking for things he wants, not being afraid to do such things, during his time with chanyeol, and to me that growth that i project into words is a beautiful thing. it's a representation of my relationship with myself.
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this short! not all the works in this series will be this emotional, however they will all be about 1k words. most will just be scenarios my brain scribbles onto the page, whether those are really cute and fluffy or comedic or sad. look forward to more content coming soon! muah~


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